Simple Church Minute #5--baptism (revised)

This is another update of the transcript of one of the two-minute versions of Simple Church Minute.  In this case, the only correction is the addition of a footnote at the bottom, and that it has a unique posting date.  When I originally posted these, I posted a number of them on the same date, which isn't a good thing when referencing these.
5—baptism

My name is Tom; this is Simple Church Minute.

In the early church, baptism was a sign of initial confession of faith in Jesus. One can find in the New Testament that baptism and faith are used like synonyms. Somewhere in the 2^nd century, the two started getting divided, with most baptisms taking place on Easter. By the 4^th century, official church leadership had taken over instruction and direction of new believers to the degree that a person had to wait 3 years to be baptized. The baptism ceremony became a rigid ritual that borrowed from Jewish and Greek culture. Somewhere along this path, a teaching got started that only baptism forgave sins, and if one committed a sin after baptism, it was unforgivable. Some, like Emperor Constantine, waited until just before dying to be baptized. With such a weakened physical state among those wishing to be baptized, the idea came about that, since baptism was a sign of belief, as opposed to actually washing something away, if a person was so ill that they would not be able to withstand immersion, a sample amount of water—sprinkling on the forehead—was a sufficient sign.

With the disconnection between faith and baptism, infant baptism came along, being taught as the New Covenant equivalent to Old Covenant circumcision, with reference to a case in the New Testament where someone was baptized (quote) and their entire household. (unquote)

Another interesting connected ritual that has come along this past century has been the insistence of those in some flavors of the church that hold to the literal adult believer’s baptism to call it “water baptism,” as if those who do not follow that direction are somehow not using water. In biblical days, the Greek word “baptidzo” was also used for the process of pickling pickles and dying cloth, but there isn’t any confusion about that anymore—at least, I don’t think so.

You can email me at simplechurchminute@gmail.com. For more info on organic simple church*, go to http://www.simplechurch.com/ or locally, (local website). A transcript of what I have just said is on my blog, tevyebird.blogspot.com, posted May 11, 2012.

On the recording, at this time, it says, “house churches.” While that phrasing is OK, to say “organic church” is better. I comment on that in blip 94.
Information used in this commentary comes from George Barna and Frank Viola's book, Pagan Christianity, (Tyndale/Barna)  in Chapter 9.  There one can find copious footnotes to back up these statements.

Simple Church Minute 26--baptism separate from conversion

26—baptism separate from conversion

NOTE:  I originally wrote a segment for each of the 61 points Frank Viola and George Barna make in their book, Pagan Christianity, about traditions in the institutional church not based on scripture.  After writing it, I chose to not include this segment merely as I felt that in wouldn’t be an interesting radio commentary.

My name is Tom; this is Simple Church Minute

            In Acts chapter 8 verses 35 to 38, an angel tells Philip to go out into the desert, where he meets this person who is the treasurer of the queen of Ethiopia, and he is in a chariot reading the book of Isaiah.  Philip asks the Ethiopian eunuch if he understands what he’s reading, he says no, Philip explains, and the Ethiopian believes,and says, “Here is water.  What hinders me from being baptized? Phil says, “ If you believe with all your heart, you may.”  The eunuch says, “I believe Jesus Christ is the som of God.  Phil baptizes the Ethiopian.

The aspect of baptizing a person immediately upon belief was the normal pattern of the early church.  A person comes to faith and is baptized.  The person doing the baptism is authorized to do so by being a believer.

            In Acts 16 verses 14 and 15, Lydia and her household were baptized after the Lord opened her heart to what Paul was saying.  The Bible says her trade was a seller of purple.  This would be better understood today as an importer of luxury fabrics, as only the highest in society were allowed to wear purple.  She was on a business trip at the time.  Acts 2 verse 41, Acts 8 verse 12, and Acts 16 verses 30 to 33 all follow the same pattern—people believe in Jesus as Savior, and then people are baptized.  In no cases does one see special people doing the baptizing.

            How did the church get off that pattern?  In the 2^nd century, some leaders, and in some places leadership was beginning to get stratified, as matched other institutions in the world, some leaders taught people needed a time of instruction.  Over time, the period of time got longer, Jewish and Greek traditions started getting added, it started being done usually on Easter, and at its most distorted, just before one died, which was connected to an idea that sins after baptism could not be forgiven.  None of those changes has connection to what is in the New Testament.

            You..

Simple Church Minute 5--baptism

5—baptism     

My name is Tom; this is Simple Church Minute.

            In the early church, baptism was a sign of initial confession of faith in Jesus.  One can find in the New Testament that baptism and faith are used like synonyms.  Somewhere in the 2^nd century, the two started getting divided, with most baptisms taking place on Easter.  By the 4^th century, official church leadership had taken over instruction and direction of new believers to the degree that a person had to wait 3 years to be baptized.  The baptism ceremony became a rigid ritual that borrowed from Jewish and Greek culture.  Somewhere along this path, a teaching got started that only baptism forgave sins, and if one committed a sin after baptism, it was unforgivable.  Some, like Emperor Constantine, waited until just before dying to be baptized.  With such a weakened physical state among those wishing to be baptized, the idea came about that, since baptism was a sign of belief, as opposed to actually washing something away, if a person was so ill that they would not be able to withstand immersion, a sample amount of water—sprinkling on the forehead—was a sufficient sign.

            With the disconnection between faith and baptism, infant baptism came along, being taught as the New Covenant equivalent to Old Covenant circumcision, with reference to a case in the New Testament where someone was baptized (quote) and their entire household. (unquote)

            Another interesting connected ritual that has come along this past century has been the insistence of those in some flavors of the church that hold to the literal adult believer’s baptism to call it “water baptism,” as if those who do not follow that direction are somehow not using water.  In biblical days, the Greek word “baptidzo” was also used for the process of pickling pickles and dying cloth, but there isn’t any confusion about that anymore—at least, I don’t think so.

            You can email me at simplechurchminute@gmail.com.  For more info on organic simple church*, go to http://www.simplechurch.com/ or locally, (local website).

On the recording, at this time, it says, “house churches.”  While that phrasing is OK, to say “organic church” is better.  I comment on that in blip 94.